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RSHT to pay $5 million to students

Posted at 11:47 PM, Jul 26, 2013
and last updated 2013-07-26 23:47:53-04

RICHMOND, Va (WTVR) - La-Deva Dabney had an interest in medical billing encoding. In 2004, she enrolled at the Richmond School of Health and Technology.

"I was told I would get a good education, was told they would help us find jobs," she said.

But, Dabney told CBS 6 News that none of the promises made by the school was met. She said she didn't have correct textbooks and always had different teachers.

"We had one teacher jumping up and down on the tables. That was her way of teaching, I guess," she told CBS 6's Chelsea Rarrick.

Dabney would later find out that she wasn't the only one with concerns. In 2011 a class action lawsuit was filed against RSHT. The suit claimed the school targeted minorities for enrollment and didn't provide adequate education according to court documents.

But on Thursday at the U.S. General District Court in Richmond, the suit was a settled and approved by a judge, according to a joint statement on behalf of RSHT and Relman, Dane, and Colfax, the firm representing the students.

"It feels good to know it's over and done with and everything we said was true," said Dabney.

In the approved settlement, RSHT, now know as Chester Career Center according to court documents, agreed to pay the $5 million to the plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs include all students enrolled at the school between July 2004 through February 2013.

In the joint statement agreed to by both sides, the school does not admit any wrong doing.